The old, narrow houses of Amsterdam remind you that it is not a city you rush through. It pulsates with its own pace. A city of details to stop and gaze at, while fascinated, you lose your way completely. You just have to slow down and look around. Walking the cobblestone streets, passing by the picturesque canals and the buzzing cafes, you imagine yourself as a character of an adventurous novel or in a silent black and white movie. I would not be surprised if every visitor has at least once thought: what if I leave everything back home and become a writer? Numerous writers have found their muse here, making Amsterdam the literary heaven it is.
My most favorite book as a child was written here” Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl, 1947″ (a dagboek= a diary) If you haven’t read it as a child, please read it now. It changes you.
Talking about books, I have to admit that I am enchanted by the small, privately owned bookshops and I also truly enjoy spending time in the Openbaar Bibliotheek (I highlyyy recommend it). Maybe one of the reasons 
why I want to learn Dutch so quickly is to be able to read in Dutch. Today I bought my first fictional book in Dutch – don’t be surprised it is a child’s book. They are easier to understand and smaller:) I will be reading from it with the help of a dictionary and will make sure to share with you if I come across some interesting words.
Wat voor boeken lees jij het liefst? / What type of books do you like to read most?
Kinderboeken (children’s book) , filosofie (philosophy), kunstboeken (art books), kookboeken (cooking books), non-fictie (non-fiction), poëzie (poetry), reisboeken (reisgidsen = trip guides ), interieur- en modeboeken (interior and fashion books) geschiedenis (historical), esoterie (esoteric), spirituele boeken (spiritual), detectives, , klassiekers (classics), mens & maatschappij (people&society), fotoboeken (fotografie = photography), religie (religion).
Today’s vocabulary is inspired by the literary world:
- samenvatten (vatte samen, heeft samengevat) – to summarize
- lezen (as, heeft gelezen) – to read
- verzinnen (verzon, heeft verzonnen) – to invent, to make up
- het boek (pl.~en) book
- de roman (pl.~s) – a novel
- het sprookje (~s) – fairy tale (Eeen sprookje begint vaak met “Er was eens…”
- het kinderboek – children’s book – een boek voor kinderen
- het essay (pl.~s) – essay
- het gezegde (pl.~s/~n) – a saying
- het spreekword (pl.~en) – proverb
- het proza – prose
- het gedicht (en) – poem
- de poëzie (pl.poëzieën) poetry
- de fictie – fiction
- het tijdschrift – magazine
- de krant (pl.~en) newspaper
- de tekst (pl.~en) – text
- het artikel (pl.~s/~en) – (een tekst in een krant of een tijdschrift) article
- het woordenboek – dictionary
- de boekwinkel = de boekhandel – bookstore
- tweedehands boekenmarkten – second-hand book markets
- Boekhandel met cafésfeer – a bookstore with a cafe feel / atmosphere
- de boekenkast – bookcase
- het onderwerp (pl.~en) = het thema (pl.~s) topic
- het genre (pl.~s) genre
- de literatuur – literature
- de recensie (pl.~s) = de kritiek (pl.~en)
- de schrijver (~s) a male writer (jemand die boeken of teksten schrijft)
- de schrijverster (~s) a female writer
- bekend = well-known
- populair – popular
- de samenvatting (pl.-en) – summary
- de titel (pl. titels) – title
- de inhoud – content, contents
- de bladzijde (pl. bladzijden) – page
- de alinea (pl.~s) = de paragraaf (pl.~grafen) paragraph
- de zin (pl. zinnen) sentence
- het hoofdstuk (pl.~ken) – chapter
- de boekenlegger = bladwijzer – bookmark
- de maatschappij – society
If you are a book lover like me, I know you will appreciate this: tomorrow, if you are somewhere around Spui, visit the book market. I was there last week with my friend Eva and we truly enjoyed it – you can find all kinds of interesting, old books there.
“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” — Joyce Carol Oates
Citywordhunt Dutch 